A case of seronegative arthritis

by Urvi Chauhan

A 39 year old man came, in August 2004, for asymmetric pains in his joints
and swelling in his fingers; he has been diagnosed with seronegative arthritis.
He has pains in his right hand, his elbow, and his right hip. The
pain increases at night and is worst about 12 – 1 am; he uses an Ayurvedic
spray (Reli) to relieve the pain. The pain comes about once a week and he has
premonitions about when it is going to come, using the spray in advance. It
hurts him to put weight on the right side, so he has to support himself to get
up from a sitting position. Eating sour food, especially unripe mangoes,
increases the pain. He also has a mild tendency to stutter, especially when
meeting people for the first time.

Dr: Tell me more about the pain.

Pt: “It started when I was sixteen, in the tips of my
fingers. The slightest touch used to aggravate it, and my fingers would turn
red. These days, the pain is very severe; it is like a boil inside, I can’t
bend my limb from the pain. It feels as though I have been hit by a blunt object,
as if blood is clotted inside. It is worse when my hand is hanging down, worse
on touching it, and better from jerking my hand. When it started, I used to
weep from the pain and wonder what will happen in the future. Today, I can
tolerate this pain but I don’t know about tomorrow. I feel that if I tell my
wife she’ll get worried. I know it’s going to worsen, so these days I just keep
quiet; I have the capacity to keep quiet even if someone would cut me with a
blade, I would not even say “oooh” (weeps). I feel it’s going to stay, it is
out of my control to alleviate it, and so I just tolerate it.

The first time the pain came, I was sleeping and I had a
dream. In that dream, I was in a boat in a flood and I saw many people drowning
and being pulled in by the force of the water. I saw myself trying to save people.
I got on the right side of my boat and saved someone, then I went to the left
side of the boat and saved someone else. I saw myself doing that and with every
motion the pain in my hand got worse. The pain was as if something had been
broken, as if it was frozen from the inside. I could hardly move my arm but I
was forcing myself to do it even though my limb was not giving me support. I
was slowly moving my arm from right to left with lots of pain. When I was sitting
still there was no pain but there were so many people, they wanted me to help
them, to save them. Someone was calling me from one side, then the other side; it was intolerable. The worst part of the dream was the pain, my entire
concentration was on it; it was limitless, intolerable, beyond my limits to
bear, and I cried out with the pain. At that time, I was explaining to myself that
“this pain is here and it’s going to be here forever, so forget about the pain
and concentrate on saving people’s lives.”

It is essential to understand the psyche of the patient
for, even though his physical disease is arthritis, his way of dealing with his
problem is equally diseased; the feeling is that he is hopeless, the pain will
stay, and his only way of coping is to endure the pain. The pain is intolerable
and so is the situation that he finds himself in during his dream; a very
demanding situation, where one needs a superhuman effort, which he seems to
tackle successfully. We can see his sensitivity to pain and the fact that he
tried to control his pain in order to save people’s lives. This type of coping
suggests the cancer miasm: a situation beyond control, beyond one’s limits to
handle, very demanding, requiring a superhuman effort to deal with it, which is
exactly what we see in his dream.

The second thing that we need to understand is how he uses
his dreams to describe how he is coping with the pain; how intense and
demanding the situation is in his perception. This is the level of imagination
and delusion.

Now, we need to trace other uncompensated areas of his
life and explore them in order to understand his experience. If we have
explored the correct track, we will come across similar experiences to those we
have already encountered. If exploring another area brings forth something completely
new, it either means that we have left the earlier experience half-explored or
that we have taken a wrong path. In such case, we need to understand the newly-explored
scene until the entire vital core is clearly understood, and then we can go
back to the earlier experience and find the missing link.

Commenting about the pain, he repeats: “It is out of my
control, out of my pain limit. If it increases, I won’t be able to walk, I’d be
bed-ridden and that would make me depressed.”

Dr: Tell me more about yourself in general.

Pt: "My goal is to stay fit. Since childhood I do skipping,
400 at a stretch."

Dr: Is there any incident in your life, which has had a
deep impact on you?

Pt: "Yes, and even today if I remember that incident, I get
tears in my eyes. Once my eldest daughter, who was under a lot of pressure for
exams, was found laying down unconscious on her bed; her eyes were wide open
and her limbs were straight out but she was not moving (tears in his eyes). It
happened right in front of my eyes. I thought “what if something happened to
her?” I was shocked. She was suffering and I couldn’t do anything about it, I
was helpless. It was beyond my imagination, I couldn’t bear it.”

Dr: Tell me more about “shocking”.

Pt: "It was so unexpected, coming suddenly like that and
again so painful. Seeing that the one whom I love so dearly was suffering, and that anything
could happen to her, that was shocking for me. Another incident: I was walking
with my mother, holding her hand, she missed a step and fell down. I was shocked
and thought: “I am with her and still she falls down, oh my God!” I blamed myself for being helpless; in that
situation, I could not do anything. In general, I become sentimental over
various things and I weep easily, especially concerning my family."

We again witness his sensitivity towards intolerable pain
and the suffering of his daughter and mother, and his helplessness to control
the situation.

Dr: Any other incidence which had a deep impact on you?

Pt: "Once, I got badly hurt on my scalp; it was very
painful. Another time, my skin was torn open and the flesh came out but I did
not cry. The pain was intolerable but I controlled it and I did not feel
helpless."

Dr: Tell me about your stuttering?

Pt: "It has been there since childhood. I used to feel very
bad about it, wondering what was wrong with me in comparison to others, so I
used to avoid facing people, talking on the phone or leaving the house. After
my marriage, I became more confident and I’ve started talking in public,
participating with friends, in groups of people, and in business circles. Even if I
do stutter, I do not feel so bad, and I don’t have inner fears now."

Dr: What are your interests and hobbies?

Pt: "I like outdoor games like cricket, taking active part
in games, sports – you should play with all your heart, 100%. You feel tremendously happy
when you win, proud of yourself, and full of excitement.
You just dance with that.

I love music, listening to melodious songs, old sad songs,
not the fun kind. Often, I just switch off the lights and I go to bed with the
music on, and I’m peaceful. It feels completely fresh, like heaven; I forget
everything and I’m calm, even if I am in pain."

Dr: What is the opposite feeling of “peace, calm”?

Pt: "I never confront anybody, I just let them be as they
are. I feel bad inside when somebody hurts me or fools me, but I just leave the
matter rest.”

Dr: How particular are you about keeping things in order?

Pt: "Very much, I want things in their place. I shout at my
daughter if she does not keep things in order."

Analysis:

On the one side, we see sensitivity towards intense, intolerable,
severe pain and suffering. On the other side, we see peace, calm, complete
silence, and no pain. The issue here is a sensitivity towards one sensation:
intolerable pain. We do not find the issues of structure, maintenance, lack, and so on that typify the mineral kingdom, nor is there the issue of
victim/aggressor, which dominates the animal kingdom. This is purely an issue
of the plant kingdom. Being such a sensitive person, who is easily tearful,
confirms the plant kingdom. His sensitivity towards intolerable pain indicates
the Papaveraceae family. When we study remedies of the Papaveraceae family, we
get the following symptoms:

Painlessness of complaints usually painful (Complete)

Ailments from shock (Knerr)

Ailments from fright, fear, accident, from sight of an (1)
(Complete)

Delusion; hurt him, people want to execute him (1) (Knerr)

We can see that the fright - and the pain - is intense,
resulting in convulsions, numbness, sleepiness, and anaesthesia, and that the
person cannot allow his pain and emotion to touch him, hence painlessness is
one of the main symptoms of Opium and other members of the Papaveraceae family.
On one side, we get intense pain at physical as well as at mental levels
(shock, fear, fright from accidents, injury, murder, violence, stabbing), along
with sleepiness, coma, catalepsy, anaesthesia, and numbness as a passive
reaction to pain. This is the vital sensitivity of Papaveraceae: intense,
hell-like pains, turmoil-like state. On the other side of intense pain is a
state of no-pain, calmness, and tranquillity; a state that one experiences in
meditation, resembling the state that our patient described when listening to
music in the dark, where he forgets his pains.

Miasm: Cancer (trying to control)

Remedy: Opium, whose central issue is “to control the pain
and suffering, or to fail to do so.” As we know, painlessness is one of the
main themes of Opium, where the patient does not allow the pain to touch him, as
he is so sensitive towards the pain sensation. That is the reason for
meditation and tranquillity being a big theme in Opium. Chelidonium, Codeinum,
Fumaria and Morphinum are other drugs from the same family sharing this state.

Characteristic Rubrics of the case
covered by opium:

Mind; DREAMS; journey;
water, by; anxious (1)

Opium is the only drug mentioned for this symptom. In
combination with the symptom mentioned below, it more or less expresses the
patient’s experience in his dream of water.

The patient mentioned that he wants to cut his painful leg
from his body and put it aside.

Prescription: Opium
1M, one dose.

Follow-ups:

20/09/04: “I had two episodes of pain but they were much
less severe. I feel that my complaints will go away, they will be cured. I feel
fresh and I do not get tired even with a lot of physical work. I am not
depressed or hopeless. Previously, I used to be sad without any reason but now
it’s not there.”

01/11/04: “No more pain all this time and my energy levels
are very good. I had some minimal pains in my fingers these last few days but
no swelling.”

22/11/04: “My mood has changed; I became angry at small
stuff, which was unlike me, as usually I do not confront anybody. Since the
last two days, I am better and in general I am fine, no more pains in my
joints.”

His anger is a very good sign; in the past he used to
control his emotions, now they are coming out.

“I had a dream: I was going out with a few friends, I
think we were going swimming and I thought it was impossible to swim, but I
heard a voice telling me “go ahead, you can do it.” So, I started swimming and
I reached the shore. I feel there is a lot of change in my attitude. I don’t
care about what people think of me, which I always did. I have always
compromised, myself, my wishes, but now I decide what I want and what I don’t
want. I will be in control of my life. I like this change. My confidence has
increased.”

Over the following months, his improvement continued. Opium
1M was repeated after a continuous dry cough and painful throat, worse on
swallowing and worse on laughing, and loose stool. Another repeat of Opium was
given after a two day fast, with neither food nor water, while on a pilgrimage.
He developed a stomach upset and pains in his epigastrium, worse on touch. He
also dreamt that he was trying very hard to finish the pilgrimage but not
getting there, making him restless.

His energy level remains good; there is no tiredness in
the evenings anymore. Pain in the joints has reduced to nothing after
resurfacing from time to time. His mood continues to improve: “I used to have
many tensions concerning my life, my finances, my health, and my family, but
now I think positively. If something is going to be there, why bother
about it by bringing it up again and again. In the past, if anyone passed a
comment, I used to feel excited and angry, thinking 'I’ll do this or that to
him' and it would go on and on. Now, I think 'let them talk as much as they
want'.”

His irritability towards his daughter has lessened and he
has more fun with her instead of becoming upset if she leaves things untidy. He
has fewer doubts about whether or not he will be able to accomplish things,
feeling that they are no longer out of his reach. “I used to feel tense about
the future, how I would handle things, but now I feel much more confident.” His
stutter has decreased and he has stopped paying so much attention to it when it
occurs.

3/12/05: "I am feeling good, fresh, and enthusiastic. I
have hardly any pains in my joints now and no more stomach acidity. I used to
be occupied by worrying thoughts, so I couldn’t give my attention to my
business and my family, but now I have come out of this and I feel as happy as
if I had won a lottery! My confidence is so much better, I feel at peace. I
know that if something happens, I can face it. I am care-free, I dance in the
streets when there is music playing and I don’t care what others think; I just
enjoy myself. I used to just live for my work and my home, and I never took part
in religious or social work, but now I feel that I should do something for
someone. If I only live for myself it’s of no use; I want to live for my family
but also for others."

Evolution:

He continues to feel better. While he occasionally has
pains in his finger joints, they are much less intense and stop in a day or two
without requiring any medical intervention. His stammering is still present but
reduced. The shift in his attitude has completely opened a new aspect of his
personality, which he never realised he possessed, and this awareness has
surged through his life with a feeling of true joy and satisfaction. He is
still a very sensitive person but now his sensitivity does not curb his
potential or colour his perception in negative ways, as it did in the past.

A recent encounter with the patient revealed that he has
no more signs of the paralysing pain he used to have, and he is off all
medications.

Dr.Chauhan,
My wife is suffering with seronagative arthritis.Treatment is being done by
Dr.A.N. Malviya of ISIC of New Delhi. wef.Oct.2008.She is fine as we have started the treatment at the initial stage with low disease.My wife is reluctant to continue with allopathic medication through out her life.Please suggest if she can switch to Homeopathy.
Regards,
Prakash Bhatnagar

Posts: 9

my reply to Mr.BharosReply #6 on : Fri July 01, 2011, 12:45:31

dear Mr. Bharos,

the possibility to cure/ keep under medicinal control for seronnegative arthritis depends upon various criteria - but in any case it is vital to talk with patient and decide the prognosis.

in my experience, if we as homoeopathic physician succeed to understand our patient beyond the realm of their subconscious self, we see a lot of positive scope for either palliation/control/complete cure of even a deep rooted pathology.

My wife is also suffering from Seronegative Rhematoid Arthritis. We have visited Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi and some renowned doctors of India. She has not been fully cured.

We are in need of medical help.

Posts: 9

A science that pleasures.Reply #4 on : Sat January 15, 2011, 05:44:14

Dear Madam, whatever is done by you helps to understand Homeopathy all over the world. So,keep it up!

Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 07:26:50 by mache

Posts: 9

congratulations to you.Reply #3 on : Mon January 03, 2011, 10:51:16

Thanks for sharing your experience with homeopathic fraternity and enlightening me. It is no doubt your success but more importantly, success of homeopathy, a hope for the hopeless, and an eye opener for the skeptics and disbelievers in the powers of homeopathy.

regards

Last Edit: January 05, 2011, 04:36:56 by mache

Posts: 9

replyReply #2 on : Mon January 03, 2011, 07:20:41

Dear Mr. Vijay,
A pleasure to know that sharing this case could help build a deeper insight upon the strength of homoeopathic science in general and that of Opium and papaveraceae family in particular. In my experience, when a case is studied beyond the realm of Mind-Body and traveled to the great length where we touch the energy pattern of a case - it brings cure as well as healing for the deepest of pathologies, such as Parkinsons, Alzimers, Cirrhosis Liver, etc.

Last Edit: January 03, 2011, 07:44:10 by mache

Posts: 9

FeedbackReply #1 on : Fri December 31, 2010, 21:24:38

Dear Doctor,

We have been using homeopathy in my family for the last 30 years and therefore I am very keen on learning more.

Treating common ailments with homeopathy is no big challenge but treating chronic cases like the one outlined in this case study certainly requires many years of expertise and a very deep understanding of the subtle nature of how and why remedies work.

Of course the key is in building up the case study by probing the patient’s past events and looking for clues and trigger points.

This is a great case study and demonstrates a very logical and methodical approach. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, expertise and knowledge. Other practitioners and students of homeopathy will certainly benefit from such detailed case studies.